Classic Boston Whaler Experience?

[fisheral87]

I am considering buying a classic boston whaler, does anyone have any input or experience with 1980's whalers hopefully here in the NW?

Current Considerations:
Spider webbing of the fiberglass
Water logged internal foam

Thanks,

Al

[Skillet]

I'm familiar with a few of the models - what size and model are you looking at? 

[lokidog]

Also where and when you are fishing?

Spider web cracks of the gelcoat are pretty common on all older fiberglass boats.  I would be concerned if the glass was spiderwebbed (gelcoat chipping along edges of spiderweb).  As far as waterlogged foam, I would think that if it is closed cell foam or polystyrene, you would have no issues.

We used an 18 footer back in the 70s and early 80s that a friend owned on lakes, awesome boat.  Here on the sound, I would consider one for fishing decent weather but they would be a rough ride during most of the winter.

[washelkhunter]

BW's are overpriced and overhyped but they will knock your kidneys out crossing even minor chop. If going in big water give me a deep V aluminum all day, riveted or welded.

[Charlie]

I considered buying a whaler in the 80's. Something around 14-16'.  I really liked the layout. I can't remember what the prices were running back then but they were pricier the other boats of the same size. I ended up going to the boathouse at Point Defiance to see if I could find someone who owned one. I was able to talk to two guys with whalers in the 14-16' range. I think they were 14' but I am not 100% on that. Both guys said pretty much the same thing. They said the boats are virtually unsinkable but if the water isn't like glass you will get as wet as if they had sunk. They told me if I bought a whaler I should also buy a good set of rain gear. That being said, both men loved their whalers and wouldn't consider getting something different. I never did find the right deal on one and ended up with a 15' Tide Runner Point Special. Good luck!

[Kuduman]

Ran a 21' Outrage for several years back in the early 80's on the great lakes and the Chesapeake bay all while conducting search and rescue operations while serving the the Coast Guard.
 Great boat. Aside from the obvious cosmetic flaws associated with a 35 year old boat you may want a independent marine consultant to do a structural inspection  prior to purchase. As stated earlier these boats were not built with the pacific northwest in mind and although I'm  a big fan of Boston Whaler there are infinite better choices for offshore use. 

Good Luck

[fisheral87]

1986, outrage 18 for lakes, sound, and on years when the tuna are close possibly off the coast, also needs to function as a family boat that I can tow with my current nissan frontier.

[washingtonmuley]

Fished the crap out of the 17' whalers on Kodiak while stationed up there. Very capable boat for it's size.

[offdahook]

i had da 1985 22 outrage one of best boat ever made imo

[johnr060]

We had an 87 13 ft, It was an awesome boat. But your probably looking for something a little bigger.

[fisheral87]

Offdahook, Johnr,

Did those boats ride hard in 2+ foot waves?

Thanks,

Al

[fisheral87]

Ran a 21' Outrage for several years back in the early 80's on the great lakes and the Chesapeake bay all while conducting search and rescue operations while serving the the Coast Guard.
 Great boat. Aside from the obvious cosmetic flaws associated with a 35 year old boat you may want a independent marine consultant to do a structural inspection  prior to purchase. As stated earlier these boats were not built with the pacific northwest in mind and although I'm  a big fan of Boston Whaler there are infinite better choices for offshore use. 

Good Luck

Unfortunately my bank account isn't infinite.

[wildweeds]

No they fly and skip over the tops it's a throttle management thing,find the sweet spot and let it go,My old man had one and he sold it one day without saying a word to me.It was an 18 foot outrage with a 135 mariner on it,I fished out of it up north here in area 7.I took it out one day in a 47 mph SE wind,and left from Bellingham,Bellingham bay is sporty in a 20,it's epic in 40+(Yeah I ran out of talent on the way in and broached it,filled it with water and romped on the throttle to clear it out the back).We fished that boat in the ocean at Uclulet in a 30,halibut fished it 36 miles out in uclelet as well,my old man made a dozen or so trips to Nootka with it. Great rough water boat,they actually ride worse IMO on glass water,want to porpoise along,personlly I think they ride better with the suface tension of the water freed up by chop.The location of the Center console gets you back where the ride is better,towards the stern,the best ride in any boat is close to the transom,it's always in the water.

Offdahook, Johnr,

Did those boats ride hard in 2+ foot waves?

Thanks,

Al

[jay.sharkbait]

I had a 17' Montauk and put it through hell.

I got it after a tree fell on it and caved in the side. Fixed it, swamped it, towed logs from Devils Head to the cabin on Henderson inlet.

It finally died when I sold it and the guy ran it at speed into a bridge.

[offdahook]

it ran good over wave 2' is nothing cut like butter..been out 60 mile offshore tuna off cali coast but mines was 22'

[offdahook]

if it aint a whaler it aint azit!

[fisheral87]

Offshore use would be very minimal.

[Gobble Doc]

I've got a 13.5' Whaler with a 40 hp 4-stroke and my kids and I have used it a lot.  I pull them around the lake on knee boards and it works great.  Based on GPS it goes about 30 mph.  Lots of gel coat cracks.  I'll take it out of Everett as long as the weather is OK and there is not too much chop.  We have caught a lot of crab out of it and a lot of flat fish.  Also works great in the Snohomish for pinks.  I'd like a bigger boat but for now it's what I have.  Everett to Whidbey and a lot of running around on less than 6 gallons of gas.  Whatever you end up with just make sure you keep an eye on the weather and other boaters and be safe. 

[fisheral87]

If going in big water give me a deep V aluminum all day, riveted or welded.

Such as?

Most bigger deep v's require more towing capacity. Most of the local budget aluminum boats don't have greater than 18 degree bow dead rise. Which I believe is the bow dead rise of this model whaler.

I do have a personal issue of not being caught dead in a bayliner. There, I said it.

[Kuduman]

If going in big water give me a deep V aluminum all day, riveted or welded.

Such as?

Most bigger deep v's require more towing capacity. Most of the local budget aluminum boats don't have greater than 18 degree bow dead rise. Which I believe is the bow dead rise of this model whaler.

I do have a personal issue of not being caught dead in a bayliner. There, I said it.

Budget Aluminum......

[fisheral87]

Nice. 

I have looked at budget options like Klamath boats but the beam isn't enough IMO.

I like the center console design, being able to walk around is a necessity IMO. I get the reasons for the cabin/enclosure but I could get custom canvas.

I have spent most of my time on Coldwaters and a custom delta marine so I'm spoiled rotten maybe.

Any similar manufactures to klamath?

[Kuduman]

I have 20 years on you so a center counsel doesn't appeal to me like it did when I was 25-40.

 This is my new ride and i couldn't be happier. I laughed when I read your budget aluminum comment because I picked this up for about 30% of what an 18' Budget aluminum would have cost me. .

[fisheral87]

Hell, you don't even look like you've started building up a crust yet!

Nice boat, I guess I should upgrade my towing rig first.

Al

[Kuduman]

I tow that striper with a standard dodge 1500 I don't break any speed records but I get where I'm going. Duel axle trailer

[Alchase]

Most bigger deep v's require more towing capacity.

Is this correct?

I know my sisters 13 ft whaler weighs at least 2 1/2 times what my 13 ft Smoker weighed.

[wildweeds]

Your comparing apples to oranges

Most bigger deep v's require more towing capacity.

Is this correct?

I know my sisters 13 ft whaler weighs at least 2 1/2 times what my 13 ft Smoker weighed.

[j_h_nimrod]

1986, outrage 18 for lakes, sound, and on years when the tuna are close possibly off the coast, also needs to function as a family boat that I can tow with my current nissan frontier.

That is a great boat, at one time it was my dream boat. Boston Whalers are great boats for many reasons, they continue to have a lot of popularity and it is not uncommon to turn up boats from the 60s and 70s in very good condition. I have owned a three, operated numerous others, and rebuilt more than a few. The spider cracks are normal and of no worry. Things to look for are soft/delaminated spots on the hull which you can find by tapping with a knuckle, the hull should sound solid not hollow. They were supposedly changing foam formulation about '86 but most knowledgable people said it didn't make a difference. I have seen some waterlogged hulls and most have some water in them but it takes a lot to make a difference. Regardless, you would be getting a bombproof unsinkable boat. They are unsinkable too, the BW commercial where they saw a boat in half is not a joke.

The best knowledge base for these boats is

www.continuouswave.com

There is a ton of information on there and if it is not then someone knows it. I believe the head moderator/site guru, Jim Herbert, is in the Puget Sound area. The site forum can tell you more than you ever wanted to know and I would bet the boat is known to people on the forum.

[Rich_S]

The smaller Boston Whalers don't have enough freeboard to make me feel comfortable when it gets rough and wet. A swamped boat without power is just a log to hang onto.

If I can ever get 'er done, I'm restoring a '64 Evinrude Sport 16. I had a Johnson 19' for several years and really liked it. A tube of hemorrhoid cream was always in the glovebox, though. The pictures aren't of my boat - just an example.









Then there's this one from the movie "Thunderball". Recognize the guy in the passenger's seat? No, not the driver, darn it!

[fisheral87]

I looked at the specific boat this morning and it had a few patches in the hull that were not done professionally and silicone filled holes where a kicker was mounted that look sketchy to me. It looked dirty, I got the impression it was well taken care of prior to the current owner. Maybe my standards are just out of whack.

The hull and layout were awesome, even the wife liked it.

The search continues.

[fisheral87]

Rich,

I'm a big fan of the bond films. I would watch the marathons on TBS with my old man. Daniel Craig does a nice job but Sean Connery is James Bond to me.

It's just too damned bad that everything good comes to an end.

She's got nice lines....

Al

[jay.sharkbait]

I looked at the specific boat this morning and it had a few patches in the hull that were not done professionally and silicone filled holes where a kicker was mounted that look sketchy to me. It looked dirty, I got the impression it was well taken care of prior to the current owner. Maybe my standards are just out of whack.

The hull and layout were awesome, even the wife liked it.

The search continues.

The silicone filled holes shouldn't be a big deal as long as water was kept out. A quick tap with a small ball peen hammer will tell you if you have a problem. Fixing the holes properly is no big deal and cheap.

The hull patches could be a problem, but again if they are watertight they can be corrected later.

Good luck in your search, but remember these boats are 30+ tears old.

[wildweeds]

Concluded your search  http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/boa/4858298215.html

[Kuduman]

 
I would actually go look at that

[j_h_nimrod]

The good thing about Whalers is they are almost infinitely rebuildable. Unless they have been utterly abused they are a candidate for repair. We used a 17' as a heavy duty work boat for years hauling firewood, fuel drums, nets, pallets of materials, etc. lots of rocky beach landings, left exposed all winter on some log skids.  This boat was beat but every 3-4 years we would pull it, buy some fiberglass materials and go to work. By next season it was almost as good as new.

Rich S - the 13' and 15' boats had low freeboard and the 17' was a bit better but the 18' Outrage has plenty to be comfortable. The good thing about these boats, and I speak from experience, is they were designed to keep the engine powerhead above water and running while fully swamped. The only caveat being that the engine weight and assesories must be in boat spec.

The holes in the transom are fine. It is marine plywood and fiberglass, unless it was saturated for a *long* time it would be fine with the silicone patches. The hull patches are a bit worrisome, I have seen some horrendous work out there. What size are the patches?  Whalers take a bit of special knowledge to fix correctly so who knows.

Is that the Craigslist ad for the boat?  The 115 is a bit on the small size in my opinion but I always liked running Whalers a bit over powered, I had a 115 on my 17 and thought that was about perfect. That combo would be great for fishing and fuel economy, figure about 3-5 gallons per hour at about 24 kts.  Not a ski boat but would be good for wakeboarding or tubing.

[fisheral87]

That's the one I looked at.

[fisheral87]

The patches were on the transome where the tie down had been shifted in order to accommodate a kicker.

Patch of any kind makes me nervous. I'm willing to put in some work but I want to get out and use it, not spend my time fixing it and I've never done glass work.

What are your thoughts based on the pics? These are way better than the pervious ones he had up.

[Rich_S]

Rich,

I'm a big fan of the bond films. I would watch the marathons on TBS with my old man. Daniel Craig does a nice job but Sean Connery is James Bond to me.

It's just too damned bad that everything good comes to an end.

She's got nice lines....

Al

I got that!    http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1452060160/nm0000805?ref_=nm_phs_md_2

[lokidog]

The patches were on the transome where the tie down had been shifted in order to accommodate a kicker.

Patch of any kind makes me nervous. I'm willing to put in some work but I want to get out and use it, not spend my time fixing it and I've never done glass work.

What are your thoughts based on the pics? These are way better than the pervious ones he had up.

I rebuilt a fiberglass Livingston last year, it is a lot easier than one might think.  However, I did not redo any gelcoat which looks a little more intimidating.